Jiaoxi (礁溪) is a hot spring town in Yilan County, on the far side of the mountains east of Taipei. Its spring water is weakly alkaline sodium bicarbonate, about 50°C, clear and odorless, and it is known as "beauty water" (美人湯) for leaving skin smooth and soft. The best part for visitors: the town's hot spring parks have foot baths that cost nothing, right in the middle of town. Buses through the Hsuehshan Tunnel make it an easy day out, or a slow overnight.
- Bus Kamalan 1915 from Taipei Bus Station, NT$115; Capital 1572 from Taipei City Hall Bus Station, NT$103
- Train Taipei Main Station to Jiaoxi Station, NT$181 local or NT$281 express
- MRT None in Jiaoxi; the buses leave from MRT stations in Taipei
- Best for Hot springs, free foot baths, a slow day
- Time A long day, or one night
How to get to Jiaoxi from Taipei
Two bus companies run frequent freeway buses from Taipei to Jiaoxi Transfer Station (礁溪轉運站), along Freeway 5 and through the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道). They are the usual way to go. Journey times depend on traffic in the tunnel, so leave extra time at weekends and at the end of long holidays.
Kamalan Bus 1915, from Taipei Bus Station
Kamalan Bus (葛瑪蘭客運) 1915 leaves from Taipei Bus Station (臺北轉運站), at Civic Boulevard and Chengde Road beside Taipei Main Station: go up to the fourth floor, platforms 12 to 14. MRT: Taipei Main Station (Blue Line BL12, Red Line R10). The fare to Jiaoxi is NT$115 one way or NT$212 return. On the weekday we checked, buses left for Jiaoxi from 05:15 until after midnight, about every 20 minutes through the day, most of them 1915B direct buses to Jiaoxi. The route also stops at Technology Building (MRT Technology Building Station, Brown Line BR08).
Capital Bus 1572, from Taipei City Hall Bus Station
Capital Bus (首都客運) 1572 leaves from Taipei City Hall Bus Station (市府轉運站), by Exit 2 of Taipei City Hall MRT Station (Blue Line, BL18). Direct 1572 buses to Jiaoxi leave from 07:00 to 23:00, every 10 to 30 minutes depending on the time of day. Before 07:00 and after 23:00, take the full-route 1572 toward Yilan and Luodong, which also calls at Jiaoxi (first bus 06:10, last 00:30). The fare is NT$103, in cash or by EasyCard or iPASS. → How to ride buses in Taipei
Taiwan Railway to Jiaoxi Station
Trains toward Yilan and Hualien stop at Jiaoxi Station (礁溪). On the weekday timetable we checked, Tze-Chiang and Puyuma express trains took 1 hour 6 minutes to 1 hour 46 minutes for NT$273 to NT$281, and local trains 1 hour 30 minutes to almost 3 hours for NT$181. Book express seats ahead; local trains take your EasyCard. From the station, the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Jiaoxi route (台灣好行礁溪線) stops at both hot spring parks.
Foot baths and public baths
Tangweigou Hot Spring Park (湯圍溝溫泉公園)
The old "hot water ditch" (燒水溝) where the springs come up is now a one-hectare park between Deyang Road and Ren'ai Road, with little bridges, pavilions and a semi-outdoor foot bath. The foot pools are free to use. The park's cypress bathhouse, Tangwei Bath (湯圍風呂), charges a small fee.
- Where: No. 99-11, Deyang Road, Jiaoxi.
- Tangwei Bath: NT$80; NT$60 for students 110 cm and taller, and for military personnel, civil servants and teachers; NT$40 for over-65s. Open 08:00 to 12:20 and 13:00 to 21:30. Children under 90 cm may not use the bathhouse.
- Foot pools: the pools are topped up every 15 minutes, and the new water is about 50°C, so stay out while it is filling. They close for cleaning at set times each week.
Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park (礁溪溫泉公園)
A wooded little hill in town, a park since the Japanese era, with century-old trees, Yilan County's visitor center and an open-air foot pool that is free to use. Its Forest Bath (森林風呂) is a Japanese-style public bath for about 200 people, with separate nude baths for men and women.
- Where: No. 16, Gongyuan Road, Jiaoxi. From Jiaoxi Transfer Station, follow the covered Travelers' Corridor, with its big white rabbits by the illustrator Jimmy Liao (幾米), toward the park.
- Forest Bath: 08:00 to 24:00. Pay at the door; we could not confirm the current price.
Jiaoxi Hot Spring Landscape Plaza (礁溪溫泉地景廣場)
At the entrance to the hot spring district, where Jiaoxi Road Section 5 meets Zhongshan Road Section 2, this plaza has four pavilions with foot bath walkways, each pool big enough for about 60 people. It is free and open all day.
→ Beitou, for hot springs inside Taipei
Hot spring etiquette
- Wash first. Rinse your feet before a foot bath, and wash before you get into a public bath.
- Keep it short. Jiaoxi Township suggests about 15 minutes at a time in the foot baths, and not overdoing a full soak.
- Stay out with cuts. Don't put feet with open wounds in a shared pool.
- Check your health. The township advises pregnant women and people with high blood pressure, heart disease, sensitive skin or a contagious illness not to soak.
- Nude means nude. In a separate men's and women's nude bath like the Forest Bath, everyone bathes without swimwear.
Day trip or overnight?
Either works. As a day trip, the buses run late: on the weekday we checked, the last direct Kamalan bus back from Jiaoxi left at 22:50, and Capital's direct 1572 runs from Jiaoxi until 22:00, so you can soak after dark and still sleep in Taipei. If you would rather slow down, Jiaoxi has plenty of hot spring hotels, and one night lets you soak twice without watching the clock.
Timing tips
- Watch the weather. Freeway buses can be disrupted by typhoons, as they were on 24 October 2026. Check the bus company's news before you go. → Best time to visit Taipei
- Bring a small towel for drying your feet after the foot baths.
Sources
Kamalan routes, stops, departures and fares from Kamalan Bus's timetable and fare search (a November 2026 weekday) and its stations page. Capital Bus 1572 hours and frequency from its freeway bus routes page and the fare from its Taipei to Yilan fare sheet. The City Hall Bus Station exit from Taipei Metro's station information. Train times and fares from Taiwan Railway's timetable search. Spring water, the parks, the Forest Bath hours, Tangwei Bath prices and hours, the shuttle stops, the plaza and the soaking advice from the Jiaoxi Township Office's tourism site: Tangweigou, Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park, the Landscape Plaza and the Travelers' Corridor. Tangweigou's size from the Taiwan Tourism Administration's listing. Free foot pools at Tangweigou from TVBS (December 2025), and at Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park, with the Forest Bath being a separate nude bath, from TVBS Supertaste. Typhoon disruption from Capital Bus. Checked October 2026.